Gary, so named because of the audio samples I used to test it, is a fun little project that uses an infra-red motion detection module to trigger the playback of audio samples using Arduino.

I've had the carved mask for quite a long time, and always wanted to do something with it - more than just hang it or put it on a shelf. There was also an element of: Well, I have a wave shield and PIR module so let's use them together... and why not throw in some LEDs too.

Assembly was pretty straightforward; Both eyes have a single bright blue LED behind them and a small slice of semi-transparent plastic over the eyes to diffuse the light (some plastic milk cartons make pretty nice diffusers).

The PIR sensor is behind one of the eyes, pointing directly at (through) the plastic eye cover. The angle of detection is quite narrow due to the shape of the eye, so I made sure to hang him somewhere that you have to pass head-on.

Code wise it's a simple sketch that plays sounds at random from an SD card whenever the PIR sensor detects some new motion.

Here he is in action...

Meet Gary... (I happened to have the samples to hand..) pic.twitter.com/hSOPClFq5i

— Mike Almond (@mikedotalmond) September 29, 2015